A community in southern Alberta will now have to rely on the nearby city’s fire department after a lack of volunteers forced it to close its fire department.
The Barons Voluntary Fire Service, Alta, located about 30 minutes north of Lethbridge, covers all properties from Lake Kehoe to the northern and western borders of the county.
Now that the lack of volunteers has led the Barons to resign, Nobleford will now cover the entire area.
“I believe in talks with the mayor and the Barons’ CAO that this was a decision – a very difficult decision – but a decision that had to be made because the volunteer forces were simply not there,” said Ann Mitchell, CAO of Lethbridge County.
Mitchell says the county is working to “ensure a smooth transition” to change.
“We appreciate the time and dedication of the Barons Volunteer Firefighters over their years of service to the citizens of Lethbridge County, and we thank Nobleford and the District Emergency Services for including the Barons area in their response area.
Barons and Nobleford have worked closely together over the years, with the Barons Fire Department attending a fatal Nobleford fire in November 2019, while Nobleford fire crews helped derail a train and fire near Barons just two months earlier.
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